


In The End

by W01FS0NG



Series: The Tale of the Lavabender [7]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: After the comics, Friendship(?), Gen, Lavabender, Mention of Death, four years after the end of season three, mention of Mai's death, mention of descrimination
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 08:06:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25846306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/W01FS0NG/pseuds/W01FS0NG
Summary: Heey, I'm back at it again with an ending.You don't have to read the other parts of the series if you don't want to, but it might or might not do you some good.
Series: The Tale of the Lavabender [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1787455
Kudos: 4





	In The End

**Author's Note:**

> Heey, I'm back at it again with an ending.  
> You don't have to read the other parts of the series if you don't want to, but it might or might not do you some good.

It’s been three full years since Heiwa had seen any of her friends. With whom, she helped defeat the Fire Nation. This twenty-year-old woman had helped ease the tensions in the colonies. She traveled through the entire Earth Kingdom on foot to reach Ba Sing Se and escape the troubles of war and her hometown. And yet, this young woman cannot conquer morning sickness. Or at least, that's how she feels at the moment. 

She doesn’t even want to get out of her comfortable bed with soft sheets. Suddenly, the curtains were drawn back in her room. Heiwa hissed and curled over on the other side, where the sunlight could not reach her eyes. “Come on~,” her cousin said, pulling on her arm. “I get that you’re depressed, but you can’t let him bring you down. He left. That’s his problem.”

She groaned at Keigo as she found the will to sit up. She yawned. “What time is it?”

“You’re missing breakfast.”

Her eyes widened as she briskly walked past him. As she entered the kitchen, she found that only her aunt (on her mother’s side) along with her two daughters (Keigo’s younger siblings) were at the table. “Where’s everyone else?” she asked.

“Well,” her aunt, a Fire Nation citizen, said. “This colony cannot run itself. Everyone in this family split the roles of your grandfather’s job as mayor since his death. Than Khe and Yu Dao  _ are _ merging to form that Republic City you suggested to the Avatar and his friends.”

Heiwa sighed. “Airi, they’re my friends too.” Things over here have gone as smoothly as Heiwa had expected them too. Which, in itself is a pretty low standard. Sure, the tensions between the Fire Nation Colonist and the Earth Kingdom natives in  _ this _ town had smoothed over. Though it was only slightly. Heiwa doesn’t exactly have the best relationship with the people in this town, but where else can she go? Iroh was on the other side of the continent, serving tea. 

She looked over at her cousins eating rice. Keigo was the firstborn, followed by Kaen, and Karin. Their mother Airi is a sister to my mother. Their uncle used to run this town. Technically, he is Heiwa’s great-uncle, but Airi insists on calling him her grandfather.

The young woman grabbed a fruit to munch on as she went for her walk. “Don’t overexert yourself!” her aunt called after her.

Heiwa found herself walking to her old house. Or at least, where it used to stand. The lot was nothing more than a destroyed building now. It was left to be a monument of harder times. This is where the town killed her parents and friend. They destroyed her home and blamed it on her. All because of her lavabending ability. This young woman was ridiculed on both sides due to her ability. 

However, Heiwa is only back because the town was trying to be better, and peaceful. Most of the time it worked. She sighed and walked over to her other family members. The ones on her father’s side, the Earthbenders. 

Her uncle answered the door when she knocked. “Oh, Heiwa. How lovely it is to see you,” he said genuinely. “How’s your baby?”

“The child is fine,” she told him. “Didn’t think that it wanted me to get out of bed.”

He smiled and disappeared into the house, and Heiwa followed. “A messenger hawk came here for you,” he told her. “It has the Fire Lord’s seal, so I didn’t open it.” Heiwa’s father is the brother of this man. 

He handed her the scroll and went into the other room. Carefully, she broke the seal and unrolled the paper. After reading it, she frowned. “Hey, Uncle?” she called. “Do you have any coins on you? I need a ticket for the ferry!”

“You don’t need it!” he told her. “You’re a member of the Higurashi clan! Just show them your pass.”

The lavabender sighed. “I know, but the Natu side of myself is telling me to use my own money.”

Kisuke Natu smiled at his niece’s comment. “That’s my girl.”

The walk to the ferry wasn’t all that long. This is a seaside colony, after all. The boat ride over wasn’t all that long either, just a few hours. Not that many people were on it; just here, a few merchants, and a few tourists. She didn’t engage in conversation with any of them, though the merchants tried to sell her some things. 

Once she got to the palace, she couldn’t help but feel nervous. The guards let her in straight away. A servant announced her presence to Zuko, Aang, Katara, Toph, Sokka, and Suki. They didn’t look very happy. Zuko’s arms were crossed as he leaned against the wall. A scowl was worn on his face. 

Heiwa hasn’t written or spoken to any of them in three months. “You missed Mai’s funeral,” Zuko told her. “After everything we’ve been through, you miss the love of my life’s funeral… without a reason? Not to mention that you haven’t maintained contact with any of us for three months.”

That’s right. Mai died in Childbirth about ten days ago. The funeral was two days ago.

Heiwa had met and lived with Zuko and his Uncle in Ba Sing Se. Although, then she knew them as Lee and Mushi. She helped run the tea shop until Azula tricked them into visiting the palace. Fire Nation prison is  _ not _ fun.

The lavabender glanced down at the floor for a small moment before looking directly into his eyes. “I’m pregnant,” she told him, much to everyone’s shock. She didn’t know tears had flowed out of her eyes until her voice wavered. “I’m pregnant, and the man that I thought was the one, left as soon as he found out.”

She gaged the faces of her friends, all in shock. TheWaterbender was the only one who spoke after a while. “Why didn’t you tell us?” Katara’s voice was gentle.

“You’re all just so… busy,” the lavabender told them. “I didn’t want to impose, and my family was right there.”

“You wouldn’t have been imposing,” the waterbender assured her. “We would have gladly helped you.”

“I think we’d do a better job than your family,” Toph stated. “They’re so…” she struggled to think of the correct wording for them, but settled on, “urgh!”

“Yeah,” said Heiwa. I know the feeling. Toph has met the Higarashis when she went to visit the Lavabender in her colony. They were only interested in the fact that she was a Beifong and not a blonde Earthbender. “I know the feeling.” Although, she liked the Natu family a lot more. 

“It’s both of your families though, right?” Aang questioned. “Not just the Higarashis?”

“Yeah. Yeah, it is.” She studied the ground for a little bit. Her father’s mother passed away two years ago. This whole pregnancy would have felt better for Heiwa if she was still alive. Then, she faced Zuko. “I would have gone if I wasn’t worried or down in the dumps about my boyfriend’s whereabouts. And my morning sickness has been pretty bad.” She paused. “I’m really sorry.”

“I’m sorry too,” Zuko stated. 

“Is it a boy or a girl?” She asked him.

“It’s a girl. I named her Izumi.” The Firelord smiled about his daughter. Seeing this made Heiwa’s own lips tug upwards.

They spent the rest of the day just hanging out. Spending the day as they did in Ba Sing Se way back when. They roamed the city, and hung around in the palace. The turtle-ducks chiclets hatched just a month or so ago. In the end, she knows it doesn’t matter where the child gets born, as long as it arrives. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed!


End file.
